Written by

Jessica Alaimo and Jessica Brown

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Students wanting to pass their driving test might want to steer clear of Sharonville.

The Sharonville exam site on Reading Road failed 28.3 percent of the drivers who took the test there last year - the highest failure rate in the state, according to an analysis of BMV data.

Meanwhile, Hamilton County's only other test site, which is called "Seven Hills," and located on Hamilton Avenue in Springfield Township, failed 8.9 percent of its students. That ranked it 39th out of the 88 exam stations included in the analysis.

If you're looking for the site where you're most likely to pass, you'll have to drive a ways: the lowest failure rate in the state was in Napoleon, a city of about 9,000 people 45 miles southwest of Toledo in Henry County. Only one student failed there last year.

A spokeswoman from the Ohio Department of Public Safety, which oversees the BMV could not explain the disparities, saying any guesses would be purely speculative. But students and driving schools say that the Sharonville area is congested and complicated. Students must pass two driving tests to get their licenses.

In the maneuverability test, students must go forward and backward through a series of cones. Sharonville had a 26.9 percent failure rate on the maneuverability test, the third highest.

During the road test, students drive a pre-approved course on streets with an examiner, who assesses their driving abilities.

"Sharonville's a lot harder," said Kate Apfelbeck, 16, of Wyoming who is currently taking driver's education classes from Jeff's Driving School in Blue Ash. She said her friends and her driving instructors told her the Sharonville course is challenging because it includes one-way streets.

Because of that, Apfelbeck plans to go to the Seven Hills location when she takes her test in March even though it's a bit farther away. "All my friends are going to Seven Hills," she said. "A lot of Cincinnati kids go to Seven Hills because it's easier."

Drivers taking Sharonville's test often encounter significant traffic, must cross several lanes of traffic and must react to school zones and one-way streets.

Seven Hills easier

Tim Adams, an instructor at Bick's Driving School in Cincinnati, said he tells his students to test at Seven Hills because it's easier to pass there.

"Seven Hills is a little neighborhood," Adams said. "Twenty-five miles per hour, no hills, no curves, no lights, only a single lane, nothing but stop signs."

Last year 1,491 more people took the driving test at the Seven Hills site than at the Sharonville site.

"Everyone says Sharonville's the hardest because of all the traffic and the lane changing you have to do," said Jeff Tuffey, owner of Jeff's Driving School in Blue Ash. He said he tries to get students familiar with the area before they take the test. In one part of the Sharonville course, a student has to cross multiple lanes of traffic on Reading Road while approaching a stop light.

"They get nervous if they can't get over and run right through the light," said Tuffey. "I just think it's more difficult. There are more things to make a driver nervous."

While challenging courses might frustrate some test-takers, it also helps keep unprepared drivers off the road, which is a good thing, said Marge Schaim, an owner of the AAAA International Driving School which runs several driving schools in Greater Cincinnati and Dayton.

"There should be a certain level of failure rate at all test sites," she said. "People who don't have adequate training shouldn't be on the road."

State BMV officials would not let county examiners respond to questions.

Location, location, location

Ohio law says applicants must demonstrate "ordinary and reasonable control" over their vehicle before they get a license.

They must also take a separate written test on their knowledge of motor vehicle laws and their ability to understand highway traffic control devices.

Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Lindsay Komlanc said there is no definite answer as to why pass/fail rates differ, because of all the factors that come into play.

Testing stations attract different demographics and age groups with different skill levels.

"Any reason would truly be speculative as to why one (exam station) has a higher pass/fail rate," Komlanc said.

Changes in driver's education

Years ago, students could take driver's education for credit in high school. Not anymore. Schools dropped their programs, and now they are run privately, according to the Ohio Department of Education. It costs about $300 for a course that meets state requirements.

Anyone younger than 18 must take 32 hours of driver's education with a certified instructor - 24 in the classroom and eight behind the wheel. They must also log 50 hours behind the wheel with a parent or guardian.

Schools can still offer driver's education, but none do, according to Scott Blake, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Education. Any classes that take place in a school are run by private companies.

Blake said the state used to provide a $50 subsidy per student taking driver's education. There was also a $50 cap on what the student had to pay. Both the subsidy and cap disappeared in 1999.

Schools must also get liability insurance for driver's education programs, which is costly.

Routes for the tests

As of Jan. 29, these were the routes used for driving tests at the sites in Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont counties

BataviaRoute 1Right turn from parking lot onto Clough PikeRight turn onto Main Street (traffic light)Follow Main Street across bridge to RiversideTurn right on Riverside (light)Turn left on Broadway (school zone)Turn left on Market Street (three-way stop)Turn right on MainTurn left on Clough Pike (light)Turn left back into parking lot

Route 2Right turn from parking lot onto Clough PikeRight turn onto Main Street (traffic light)Turn right on Market street (three way stop)Turn right on Broadway (school zone)Turn left on Riverside (light)Turn left onto Main StreetTurn left onto Clough Pike (traffic light)Turn left back into parking lot